Stacked bags



july 4 1957 w. R. MEDLEYCOTT 3,329,260

STACKED BAGS FIG. 3.

Filed June 6, 1966 INVENiTOR WILLIAM R. MEDLEYCOTT I. l a'.

FIG.Z.

United States Patent O 3,329,260 STACKED BAGS William R. Medleycott,Willingboro, NJ., assignor to Superpac, Inc., Warrington, Ia., acorporation of Penn- Sylvania Filed June 6, 1966, Ser. No. 555,498 4Claims. (Cl. 206-57) This invention relates to stacked bags and moreparticularly relates to a stack of bags suitable for use in automaticbag loading operations.

It is well known to employ a stack of bags in an automatic loadingoperation wherein each bag is automatically opened by, for example, anair jet, the merchandise to be bagged is conveyed into the bag and thebag is severed from the remaining bags in the stack. Conventionally thebags in the stack are held together by means of staples. Such anarrangement has a number of disadvantages with the primary one being inconnection with food products where there is a danger that a staple willcome loose and be included with the packaged food products. It istherefore an object of this invention to improve on the conventionallyemployed bag stack and particularly to eliminate the possibility of astaple being included with the packaged material by eliminating the useof staples.

The invention will be clarified `on reading the following description inconjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partially diagrammatic side elevation of bag loadingapparatus employing a bagstack in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan View of the bag stack and the loaded bag shown inFIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged front elevation, partially broken away, .of thebag stack of FIGURE 1 showing the bound portion of a bag stack beingremoved after all of the bags have been employed; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan View, partially broken away, of the operation shownin FIGURE 3.

As shown in the drawings each bag stack 2 in accordance with theinvention comprises a plurality of sealable plastic bags 4 of, forexample, a thermoplastic lm which can be heat sealed using a heatedtool, ultrasonics or high frequency electric sealing such as a polyolen,for example, polyethylene or polypropylene or a vinyl resin such aspolyvinyl chloride. Each bag 4 has a top panel 6 and a bottom panel 8formed from a single sheet and each sealed together along one side asindicated by the line 10 and along the opposite side (not shown). Bag 4is provided with a gusseted bottom 12 which is not shown in detail. Asthus described, the bags are Well known to the art.

Rear panel 8 is provided with a binder portion 14 which extendssubstantially beyond the open end of the bag. Binder portion 14 isprovided with a pair of substantially circular openings 16 and 18 toaccommodate a U-shaped retaining wicket 20. Openings 16 and 18communicate with narrow slots 22 and 24 respectively which extend to theside edges of binder portion 14.

The bottom panels 8 in each stack 2 are each sealed together adjacentopenings 22 and 24 and toward the bag body as indicated at 30 and 32respectively in order to facilitate the opening and loading of the bags.Additionally, the back panels 8 are heat sealed together betweenopenings 16 and 18 and the outer end of panel 8 along a strip indicatedat 34. A weakened tear line 36 which, for example, may be perforatedseparates the binder portion 14 of bottom panel 8 from the remainderthereof.

Operation lReferring now particularly to FIGURE 1, the use of bag stacks2 in accordance with the invention is illustrated. The bag stacks aremounted on an upwardly biased platform 40 which urges the stacks 2upwardly on wicket 20. A nozzle 42 directs a jet of air against theuppermost bag 4 in such a manner as to permit the air to inflate andopen up this bag. A tray 44 containing, for example, dinner rolls 46 isadvanced into the open end ofbag 4 until it is abutting against thebottom 12. The entry of tray 44 into bag 4 is greatly facilitated by theholding down of panel 8 by the heat sealed areas 30 and 32 which insurethat the Width of the open end is suicientto receive tray 44.

After the tray 44 abuts against bottom 12 it is further advanced in adirection away from binder portion 14 which causes the severance of bag4 from binder portion 14 along the weakened line 36.

After all of the bags in the uppermost stack 2 have been employed, it isimportant to remove the binder portion 14 otherwise succeeding stack 2will be malpositioned with respect to nozzle 42 at the line ofintroduction of tray 44. As shown in FIGIURES 3 and 4 the binder portion14 is easily removed by simply moving it outwardly away from wicket 20by virtue of the presence of the slit openings 22 and 24 which permitthe folding of the binder portion as it is withdrawing as best seen inFIG- URE 4.

It will be understood that the above described embodiment is merely byway of illustration and is not intended to be limiting.

What is claimed is:

1. A bag stack of heat sealing plastic bags having open ends comprising:

a plurality of stacked bags having their open ends aligned, each baghaving a front panel, and a rear panel having a portion extending beyondthe front panel adjacent the open end of the bag,

said portion of each rear panel having a pair of wicket openings for thereceipt of a holding wicket and a tear line between said openings andthe open end of the bag,

`said portions of the rear panels being heat sealed together along aline between said wicket openings and the outer end of the rear panel,and

each rear panel having a narrow opening extending respectively to theadjacent side thereof from each opening.

2. The bag stack of claim 1 in which the openings extending to the sidesare slots.

3. The bag stack of claim 1 in which the said portions of the rearpanels are heat sealed between said tear line and said narrow openings.

4. The bag stack of claim 2 in which the said portions of the rearpanels are heat sealed between said tear line and said slot openings.

1. A BAG STACK OF HEAT SEALING PLASTIC BAGS HAVING OPEN ENDS COMPRISING:A PLURALITY OF STACKED BAGS HAVING THEIR OPEN ENDS ALIGNED, EACH BAGHAVING A FRONT PANEL, AND A REAR PANEL HAVING A PORTION EXTENDING BEYONDTHE FRONT PANEL ADJACENT THE OPEN END OF THE BAG, SAID PORTION OF EACHREAR PANEL HAVING A PAIR OF WICKET OPENINGS FOR THE RECEIPT OF A HOLDINGWICKET AND A TEAR LINE BETWEEN SAID OPENINGS AND THE OPEN END OF THEBAG, SAID PORTIONS OF THE REAR PANELS BEING HEAT SEALED TOGETHER ALONG ALINE BETWEEN SAID WICKET OPENINGS AND THE OUTER END OF THE REAR PANEL,AND EACH REAR PANEL HAVING A NARROW OPENING EXTENDING RESPECTIVELY TOTHE ADJACENT SIDE THEREOF FROM EACH OPENING.